Abstract
Selenium is essential to human health and has received much attention due to its antioxidant properties, and its ability to attenuate the oxidative cascade during sepsis. In critical illness and sepsis, selenium levels have been shown to be drastically reduced for several days or weeks. Patients with the most severe level of trauma or sepsis display the lowest levels of antioxidants and a 3-fold increase in mortality. Results from meta-analyses show inconsistent results regarding selenium supplementation. Parenteral selenium may be beneficial for critically ill patients; however, outcome studies are inconclusive and dosing remains unclear.